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Home » social skills » Page 14

Pink Hair Band

I think I have written about school uniform and its (negative) educational value many times, yet somehow, I do not have the feeling I have written enough. I hope you can read my frustration with this topic in my sarcasm, because I am not happy at all.

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Published: February 27, 2009 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: April 16, 2021In: Education / Learning, Opinion Tags: kids / children, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, behavior / discipline, practical parenting / parents, focus, school, rules, social skills, lifestyle, k-12 education, academic performance

Kids are Like Mice

Yesterday, during a session with two of my parenting clients, they asked me again, “Why do you send your kids to school?” My answer was “Because kids are like mice – they need friends”. Research on mice and relationship has found that mice that spent their time with other mice live longer – as a matter a fact, twice as long – than mice who lived on their own. Happy kids, just like happy mice, need company and this is the main reason for sending kids to school.

Read Kids are Like Mice »

Published: December 12, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 24, 2019In: Health / Wellbeing, Parenting, Education / Learning Tags: school, practical parenting / parents, emotional intelligence, relationships / marriage, social skills, k-12 education, academic performance, kids / children, health / wellbeing, friends / friendship, education / learning

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd: See What Happens

3 young women giggling

There’s a famous saying “Two’s company, but three’s a crowd”. When you’re a parent, and you want to help your kids with their social life, it’s a good one to remember. Other odd numbers of kids are tougher than even, but three can get downright nasty.

Ronit and I grew up in small places, where life was fairly simply and people were very friendly. So whatever we did, we did with our friends. We rode our bikes with them, played sports with them, and splashed with them at the pool or in the puddles. We swung with them at the playground and very often invented new and exciting games and adventures with them.

So it’s only natural for us to want our kids to have friends too and enjoy similar warmth to what we felt as kids. We want them to develop their social skills and imagination (come on, say it with me “instead of spending all their spare time in front of the computer or the TV”).

Read Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd: See What Happens »

Published: September 10, 2008 by Gal Baras
Last modified: September 9, 2020In: Relationships / Marriage, Kids / Children, Parenting Tags: happiness, relationships / marriage, social skills, kids / children, behavior / discipline, friends / friendship, practical parenting / parents

Research Says: Friends Improve Sibling Relationships

Girl hugging younger girl aggressively

Family Matters says: your attitude can improve them even more.

In psychological studies, the age gap between siblings is very important and is used to explain many behaviors and relationships. Can you imagine yourself lying on the shrink’s sofa and complaining about your brother who came into your life too early and took all the attention away from you?

In a research published by the Journal of Family Psychology, Dr. Laurie Kramer, professor of applied family studies at the University of Illinois, followed 28 sibling pairs from the age of 4 to adolescence and found that “a child’s socialization with friends before the arrival of a sibling can predict a more positive relationship between the siblings”.

Read Research Says: Friends Improve Sibling Relationships »

Published: April 4, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: March 18, 2021In: Kids / Children, Parenting, Relationships / Marriage Tags: beliefs, relationships / marriage, social skills, family planning, positive attitude tips, kids / children, baby / babies, practical parenting / parents, focus, emotional intelligence

Social Identity

Social gathering with friends

Today, let’s explore how we form our social identity and how it can contribute to our self-esteem.

Psychologists claim that we have a social identity. From the moment kids see themselves as part of a family, they start forming their social identity. Our self-esteem, which is what we think about ourselves, is greatly influenced by the groups we associate ourselves with and by what they think and do. For that matter, our family is our first social group.

If you want to understand the influence of the groups on our life, put yourself at the center of a circle and draw bigger and bigger circles around you for your family, friend, work colleagues, acquaintances and so on. The closest the circle to you, the more influence you allow this group to have on your life.

Read Social Identity »

Published: March 25, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: January 22, 2020In: Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Kids / Children Tags: relationships / marriage, social skills, family matters, kids / children, identity, self confidence / self esteem / self worth, mother, practical parenting / parents, father, mom, dad, happiness

Should my child repeat a year at school or not?

Boy with long hair

This question usually comes up after a teacher tells a child’s parents that the child is not keeping up with their schoolwork. Often, the teacher actually suggests that the child repeat a year.

However, although the indication given is academic, the problem is most often emotional.

If the reason for the child’s poor performance is academic, I believe there is no point repeating a year. If there is a real difficulty, time is not the cure!

It is better to offer special support to the child during and after school, or in extreme cases, in a special school.

However…

Read Should my child repeat a year at school or not? »

Published: March 19, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: February 29, 2020In: Kids / Children, Parenting, Education / Learning, Ask Ronit Tags: education / learning, success, practical parenting / parents, emotional intelligence, happiness, communication styles, learning styles, social skills, k-12 education, academic performance, kids / children, school

Should I Choose a Single-sex School for My Child?

Phillips Exeter Academy

The single-sex school originated during the 18th century, when rich families sent their sons to “special” schools. Only later, in the 19th century, when the awareness of the value of education increased, were girls also sent to study. Single-sex schools were very popular in England and now also in Australia.

Today, the single-sex schools are popular among religious populations and even more during high school.

Supporters of single-sex schools believe they help kids concentrate on their academic work and avoid the sexual distractions of adolescence.

Critics believe that some social skills relating to the opposite sex reaches its peak development during teenage and that if teens do not have enough practice, this limit their social skills and their ability to relate later on.

Read Should I Choose a Single-sex School for My Child? »

Published: March 14, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: January 21, 2020In: Did You Know?, Parenting, Education / Learning, Opinion, Ask Ronit Tags: school, learning styles, gender, social skills, skills, k-12 education, success, academic performance, behavior / discipline, mother, education / learning, father, practical parenting / parents, mom, dad, happiness, communication styles

Networking for Kids

Little boy and girl holding hands

These days, networking is synonymous with success. Networking is also the key to a good social life.

No matter how big our house is, how colourful our car is, how powerful our computers are or how many academic degrees we have, it is the ability to establish good relationships with our family, our friends, our customers, our colleagues and, perhaps more than anything else, with people we do not know, that determines our success in life.

At school, we get the idea that the more knowledge we gain, the more successful we will be in life. This intellectual focus on life is still practiced in many places around the world.

In fact, “It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know”.

Read Networking for Kids »

Published: March 6, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: March 18, 2021In: Kids / Children, Success / Wealth, Parenting, Relationships / Marriage Tags: relationships / marriage, social skills, kids / children, practical parenting / parents, success

Kids and Humor

2 boys laughing

Kids laugh a lot but not everything is funny for them. Watching them can teach us a lot about the complication required to understand humor. The younger the kids, the clumsier they are at telling jokes, and many of them do not think jokes are funny at all.

In the early years, kids laugh at things that do not seem funny at all to the adults. At the age of 6 or 7, kids discover humor when they start to understand the double meaning of words. Only at that stage, when their language develops enough, do they have the capacity to shift from one verbal meaning to the other.

This understanding is so important that they can never get to the punch line without it.

Read Kids and Humor »

Published: February 26, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 24, 2019In: Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Kids / Children, Health / Wellbeing Tags: happiness, social skills, stress / pressure, health / wellbeing

Will Marriage Kill Our Relationship?

Group of young women

Here is a question I was asked by a writer from a famous women’s magazine, who wanted my opinion as a life coach.

My girl friend is getting married soon and I feel a bit left out. I feel she is moving on without me. What is the best way to ensure our friendship stays the same, now that we are on different life paths?

Read Will Marriage Kill Our Relationship? »

Published: January 18, 2008 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 23, 2019In: Relationships / Marriage, Opinion, Ask Ronit Tags: women, gender, wedding, relationships / marriage, social skills

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